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Selling High: Week 13

Last week I told you about six players who have been performing well so far this season, and I explained to you why you should get rid of them. Now, by “get rid of” I don’t mean to let go on the waiver wire or to trade for inferior players. I mean take advantage of their good standing now by trading for better players to bring you to the finish. It’s not about trust. It’s about being smart and playing the odds. Odds are that the players from last week’s article won’t stay this strong all year, and why get rid of them when they’ve started going south?

It’s time to Sell High…

THREE PITCHERS TO SELL HIGH ON:

Mark Buehrle (TOR) – He’s lost 3 straight starts, but owners are still putting Buehrle in their lineups, based on his early season form, but he’s hit the turning point, in my opinion. His strikeout rate is coming back down to earth, and he’s not making bats miss as much as he was. He has a few quality starts in his arm the rest of the way, but he’s not a number one pitcher. You might still be able to get number one value for him this week, but depending on how things go it might be a tough sell to get something quality in exchange for Buehrle on the open market later. Right now you could still trade Buehrle for: Sonny Gray, or David Price.

Stephen Strasburg (WAS) – He’s definitely got the name cache, and he’s been okay this season, but he hasn’t been the lights out performer you expected him to be when you drafted him high before the season began. He’s actually been bailed out several times by his team instead of taking even more losses this season, but he already has 5 so far. To me it seems like a precarious slope he’s been walking, and I would definitely trade him for someone more consistent. You’d be surprised who you could still get for him, even with the mediocre start to the season (6-5). You could trade him for: Kyle Lohse, or Scott Kazmir.

Alfredo Simon (CIN) – Simon only has one week so far this season with less than 13 fantasy points, which might surprise some people. His ERA is low (3.04), and he’s been winning games. But his run support is low, and his ERA isn’t going to stay down that low. At some point he will start to even out, and when that happens, if he’s still not getting run support, he will start losing games at a good clip. Judging from his history, and the fact that he wasn’t a solid starter last season, that could start to happen in the very near future. I say sell him right now, at the zenith of his powers, and while he’s still winning games, because the famine is coming. If I were you and I have him slotted in the relief spot, I would trade him for a top-tier closer. You could get: Trevor Rosenthal, Craig Kimbrel.

THREE HITTERS WHO ALSO FIT THE BILL:

Albert Pujols (LAA) – I know, Pujols just isn’t playing like the same consistent player he was earlier in his career. He had three straight weeks over 30 fantasy points early in the season, but three of his last four weeks have been 11 fantasy points or under. That’s not what you expected from Pujols, and it might even be the reason you lost some of your matchups. With his bad back, he might fade even more over the second half of the season. But he’s Pujols and you’ll fetch a lot for him. You could bolster your pitching staff by dealing him and get a great first baseman in the deal. You could trade him for: Freddie Freeman and Cole Hamels; Anthony Rizzo and Madison Bumgarner.

Brian Dozier (MIN) – Dozier’s been fairly consistent this season, easily outscoring all other second basemen, but he’s been dealing lately with injury, and with him they have a tendency to mount up. It’s affected his recent production, and I’m afraid it might impact him going forward as well. If you have a chance to get a second baseman or a utility player who has been producing well of late, and who is also consistent, I would go for the deal now, especially if you are looking at a losing record in fantasy at the moment. You could get: Jose Altuve, Anthony Rendon, or Hunter Pence.

Starlin Castro (SS) – Castro has been on fire the past few weeks, piling up hits, home runs, and a strong batting average. But he’s done this before, and the two weeks before this recent spurt he was under double digits in fantasy points, so even in this season’s sample size you can make the case for inconsistency. However, it seems like owners have bought into Castro’s resurgence, so if you have him, make a deal sooner rather than later. Their confidence in him won’t last that long, especially when his production starts to dip again. Right now you could trade him for: Hanley Ramirez; Malky Cabrera.